Gong meditation in Dubai

Time Out has a guide to gong meditation in Dubai, including a review of Heart & Soul Spa, Al Barari, and info on 136.1 Yoga, Zen Yoga and Life'N One

By
Shitika Anand
26 April 2016

It was a very loud gong. Almost as if it came from several kilometres away, but it was right in front of us. A huge Tibetan brass one that Sanj Hall, our meditation teacher, keeps referring to as “the sun”.

To explain gong meditation in the simplest way, it’s the falling asleep to a reverberating song. It’s a form of sound therapy that is said to unblock emotional congestions and relieve the mind of stress. When we head into our hour-long class at Heart & Soul Spa, Hall hands us a pillow and a blanket and tells us this is going to be just like a slumber party, but with 20 instruments.

The chimes, hums and bongs envelope us within the first five minutes of the practise. This familiar stillness – also known as a yogi sleep state – is backed up by really strong vibrations. We feel it in our bones. While our minds are chattering away and busy being distracted, our body is responding to the waves of the music. While we may not have meditated in the obvious way, this conscious sleep with a soundtrack is very welcome. So welcome we’ve booked our next session.Dhs120. Wed 7.30pm-8.30pm. Heart & Soul Spa, Al Barari (04 320 735004 320 7350).

Zen yogaThe gong meditation at this studio concentrates on the continual pattern of breathing. It takes place every other Saturday with the next class on April 23.Dhs90. Sat 3pm-4pm. Zen Yoga, Dubai Media City, www.yoga.ae (04 422 464304 422 4643).

Life’N oneAn intuitive facilitator will take you on a healing and meditative journey through the vibrations of the sun gong, with the aim of providing deep relaxation.Dhs80. Mon 7pm-8pm. Life’n One, Villa 5/1b, Jumeirah 1, www.lifenone.com (04 343 667604 343 6676).